The High Court of Lagos State today halted AIT, which is owned by Daar Communications, from broadcasting in any form a documentary on the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, titled "The Lion of Bourdillon," pending the determination of the motion of notice.
The order was delivered by Justice Akinkugbe I.O., following an application by Chief Wole Olanipekun, the lead counsel for the All Progressives Congress chieftain, in his defamation case against Daar Communications.
The court also adjourned the motion for an interlocutory injunction on the application of the defendant/respondent counsel to next Friday, March 20.
SaharaReporters reported last week that the owners of AIT received N10 billion to produce and air negative documentaries on leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a deal that was bankrolled by the Minister for Petroleum Affairs, Diezani Allison-Madueke. Our investigations also showed that that AIT receives N5 million each time an episode of any of the documentaries is aired on their channels in Nigeria.
Following its Tinubu documentary, SaharaReporters learned that the Vice Presidential candidate of the APC, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was next on the hit list of AIT.
Late last week, however, the Federal High Court in Lagos brought that plan to a screeching halt, with presiding judge J.T. Tsoho giving a blanket order forbidding “respondents, their agents, privies, representatives and other media entities under the control of [the National Broadcasting Commission]” from violating Pastor Osinbajo’s “right to the dignity of the human person.”
That order will stay in place until the judge releases the defendants from the interim court injunction.